Artist and designer Alice Oehr‘s new book, Pretend You’re In Paris, is all about the wondrous feeling of escaping to Paris – without actually having to go anywhere!
Alice wrote and illustrated the book in lockdown after she found herself missing the excitement of her annual visits to Paris before the beginning on the pandemic. She set out to replicate that incredible feeling you get from being a tourist in a new city (from her own home).
Through 50 fun and thoughtful activities spanning food, drink, culture, fashion and architecture, she invites the reader to explore the streets around them with fresh eyes (‘and ears and nose’!) in hopes of re-discovering the beauty of where we live.
‘The idea was to take inspiration from things you might do in Paris – visit a gallery, monument, bakery, park or a classic restaurant, and doing that equivalent thing in your own city,’ she explains.
‘I am really into the idea of making something from nothing, and trying to always re-think your perspective on life.’
It took Alice about six months to come up with all the activities, research and write the whole book. She even created all the illustrations herself (which she made by cutting up pieces of paper!) as a ‘loose ode’ to the style of prolific French artist, Henri Matisse.
And while international holidays are back on the cards, it’s still a perfect slice of escapism for any tentative travellers or Francophiles alike!
You can shop Pretend You’re In Paris from today here.
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